Practice Experience Program Progression

1. Practice Experience Program Progression Policy

1.1 Policy number: CO-E-0047.0

1.2 Category: Education

1.3 Approval date: September 2018

1.4 Revision due date: September 2019

1.5 Unit responsible: Education Services

2. Policy declaration

The RACGP Practice Experience Program (PEP) has been developed to provide non-vocationally recognised doctors with a support program grounded in the workplace and providing individualised learning assessment.

Participants of the Program must meet the progression requirements outlined in this policy.

3. Objectives and scope

3.1 Objectives

The objective of this policy is to outline participants’ learning program and assessment requirements while in the Practice Experience Program.

3.2 Scope

This policy applies to all participants in the Practice Experience Program.

4. Definitions

For the purposes of this policy:

AHPRA means Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

Assessor means a medical educator employed by the participant’s RTO with skills and experience in evaluating general practice competencies.

Individual Program Requirements (IPR) refers to the process that, informed by the ICSA, including qualifications and prior general practice experience, brings together all elements of a participant’s current competence, specific learning needs and areas for additional professional development during the participant’s time on the PEP. It incorporates learning units, assessment activities and program duration.

Progression means the process by which a participant advances through the PEP, by progressively meeting the educational, administrative and assessment requirements of the PEP as outlined in the participant’s individual Program Agreement.

Remediation means intervention addressing clinical skills deficiencies. The intervention may include, but is not limited to: revision of the learning plan; tutorial time with a nominated ME to address knowledge deficits; case based discussion; direct observation of clinical skills; review of videorecorded consultations.

RTO means Regional Training Organisation.

WBA means workplace-based assessment.

5. General principles

5.1 Participants are expected to maintain continuous progression in line with the requirements of the Program Agreement.

5.2 Progress is monitored by the Regional Training Organisation (RTO), and reports on progress are provided to the RACGP.

5.3 Participants are responsible for ensuring that they are able to meet the requirements outlined in this policy.

6. Workplace-based assessment

6.1 Participants are required to fully participate in all WBA activities, including ME, supervisor, peer and patient assessments. Reflection on feedback and learning planning forms part of the WBA.

6.2 Assessors who undertake the WBA are bound by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) Guidelines for Mandatory Notifications. As such, assessors may be required to report notifiable conduct to AHPRA.

7. Completion of learning units

7.1 Participants are required to complete the learning units and unit assessment activities as allocated in the participant’s Individual Program Requirements (IPR).

7.2 The participant must complete the self-reflection and learning plan activities of each learning unit in order for that unit to be considered completed.

8. Remediation

If the participant’s progress is assessed as insufficient by the RTO, remediation may be recommended. For more information, see the Practice Experience Program Remediation Policy. If remediation is undertaken, progress as required by the remediation program will be assessed.

9. Related policies, documents and legislation

All policies and guidance documents related to the Practice Experience Program are available at the policy page.

10. Administrative procedures

10.1 Access to published policy

This policy will be available via the RACGP website as detailed in clause 9.

10.2 Promulgation of published policy

Relevant staff members will be provided communications explaining the function and role of this policy.